Glove

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a glove, especially a disposable glove. Said glove comprises at least two plastic films ( 6, 7 ) of substantially the same dimensions that are firmly linked with each other at least in the lateral marginal zones ( 8 ), thereby defining the inner ( 10 ) and the outer ( 9 ) face of the glove and leaving free a glove opening ( 11 ). Said glove is further characterized by an absorbing exterior layer ( 12 ) that is applied on the outer surface that pertains to the back of the hand and/or the inner surface that permits to the palm.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to gloves, especially disposable gloves, as areused for example in fueling or in checking a dipstick.

Such disposable gloves are known and consist only of plastic. They aremade available for example at filling stations sheet size and dispensedfrom a roll, in order to enable the customer of the filling station tocomfortably carry out simple activities on the vehicle, such as fuelingor measuring the oil level. In doing so the paper or the mat is used toclean the hands after fueling or to wipe the dipstick before measuringthe oil level.

In the known disposable gloves however it is disadvantageous that theyare made of plastic. If accordingly oil or gasoline end up on the glove,it is possible to become dirty when handling the gasoline or benzine.Moreover, in addition to the gloves, the used paper or mat must also bedisposed of; this is not desirable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Proceeding from the above described defects and deficiencies, the objectof this invention is to develop these gloves, especially thesedisposable gloves, simply and in a manner which is economical tomanufacture, such that thus dirty activities, for example wiping thedipstick, are also possible without using separate paper.

This object is achieved as claimed in the invention according to theteaching of the invention by a glove, especially by a disposable glove,

with at least two essentially congruent plastic films which at least onthe lateral edge areas are joined to one another securely with theformation of an outside and an inside and leaving a glove opening, and

with at least one absorbent outside layer which is applied externally tothe outside which can be assigned to the outside surface of the handand/or to the inside which can be assigned to the inside surface of thehand.

Accordingly, as claimed in the invention a glove is made available whichis externally provided on its outside, but preferably only on itsinside, with an effectively superabsorbent outside layer of paper or(paper) mat. This paper or mat layer can be kept very thin so thatconsiderable material can be saved; according to the prior art thismaterial is necessary in a paper or mat dispenser.

In one advantageous development of this invention the absorbent outsidelayer can be statically charged, especially electrostatically chargedand/or magnetostatically charged so that the glove is advantageouslyalso suited for wiping dirt, since by using an outside layer materialwith high static charging capacity the dirt collects especially easilyon the outside layer. This takes place especially efficiently when theoutside layer has iron shavings in powdered form.

In order to reliably prevent formation of disease-causing germs or thelike when this invention is used as a cosmetic glove and/or as a medicalglove, the outside layer according to one preferred embodiment of thisinvention has at least one disinfecting and/or germicidal additive, forexample in the form of a disinfectant which can be delivered as anadditive to the outside layer. One major advantage in this connection isthat these disinfectant and/or germicidal additives can be metered veryexactly, and for example ground spices in the (paper) mat material canbe imagined.

It is a good idea if the absorbent outside layer, as was mentionedabove, has paper or mat and if the plastic film is bondable and/orsealable; preferably the plastic film consists of polyethylene (PE),which material offers the advantage that under certain assumptions itcan be permeable to air, but not to liquid; in contrast, polypropylene(PP) can be permeable to liquid when certain conditions prevail, but notto air.

According to one advantageous development of this invention at least oneof the plastic. films is microperforated at least in places. In this waya glove which can to a certain extent breathe is made available sincethe plastic films do not allow any liquid exchange, but very probablyair exchange; this has the positive effect that unpleasant sweating ofthe hand in the glove can be avoided.

The essentially congruent plastic films can preferably be made roughlyrectangular in a plan view. The plastic films are easily formed from aplastic web which extends in the lengthwise direction and which isfolded in the form of a hose, the fold edge which extends in thelengthwise direction forming the top of the glove in the area of thefingertips of the hand which has been inserted therein and the two edgesopposite the fold edge forming the glove opening; the gloves areaccordingly transversely next to one another.

According to one especially inventive development of this glove, the twoedges which are opposite the fold edge and which form the glove openingcan be arranged offset to one another. In this way especiallycomfortable insertion of the hand into the glove is enabled, since theuser of the glove can optionally compensate for the fact that the twoplastic films may adhere to one another by his easily grasping theprojecting edge and gently pulling the two plastic films apart.

As a result, moreover in the area of the fold edge there need not be abond seam or seal seam; this simplifies production of the glove. Only onthe lateral edge areas are the congruent plastic films feasibly joinedto one another by cementing and/or by bonding and/or by sealing. Thegloves can however advantageously be turned at a right angle, moreovercan be formed in succession from the plastic web.

In one feasible embodiment, instead of a roughly rectangular interior oralso an interior which is roughly round or at least rounded for thehand, the glove can have at least in areas at least one bond or sealseam which runs at a distance from the side edge areas and/or from thefold edge, in the form of a fingered glove (with up to six receivingareas for the finger, but also with receiving areas in which two or morefingers can be accommodated next to one another at the same time) or inthe form of a mitten; in this way the glove is made to have a bettergrip and to be easier to handle.

Advantageously the bond or seal seam in a plan view can have a thumbsection for holding the thumb on both sides of the finger area. Thusgloves for the left hand and gloves for the right hand need not beproduced separately; rather each glove can be worn on the left and rightsuch that the absorbent outside layer is assigned to the inside of theglove.

Furthermore, in one feasible embodiment of this invention it is intendedthat for the two congruent plastic films there be at least one othercongruent plastic film on the side opposite the outside layer, thisother plastic film being connected at least to the adjacent plastic filmvia another bond or seal seam which runs with a distance from the bondor the seal seam in the form of a fingered glove or in the form of amitten, but essentially parallel thereto.

The latter bond or seal seam should take up a larger area than theformer bond or seal seam, by which between two adjacent congruentplastic films at a time a glove is formed, but with a different size.Thus the gloves can be easily used for quite large hands and also forquite small hands without adversely affecting the comfort of use.

There are preferably two or more disposable gloves in the lengthwisedirection of the plastic web depending on the arrangement on the plasticweb next to one another or in succession, and the individual gloves canbe easily separated by at least one linear perforation which runstransversely to the lengthwise direction. Thus the gloves as claimed inthe invention can be unrolled in the lengthwise direction and can bedispensed individually by means of a dispenser.

If the glove as claimed in this invention is to be developed especiallyadvantageously, it is recommended that in the area of the glove openingthere be at least one locking closure with at least one fixing orclosing strip which extends essentially transversely to the insertiondirection of the hand. Preferably therefore at least one fixing orclosing strip is formed which is located in the area of the so-called“turnback” of the glove and with which the glove opening can be closedafter insertion of the hand into the glove.

On the one hand, there is no additional material cost associated withthe arrangement of the locking closure in the area of the glove opening,i.e. in the turnback area, because the material which is necessary forthe locking closure is made available anyway by the plastic film(s) andon the other hand would only be scrap; on the other hand, by providingthe locking closure and the resulting closing function in the area ofthe glove opening, the hand is reliably prevented from slipping out ofthe glove since the turnback area which may otherwise tend touncontrolled flapping and under unfavorable conditions in the extremecase to unwanted incipient tearing, i.e. the area of the glove opening,can be fixed and closed by the locking closure.

In one special embodiment the fixing or closing strip has two ends,preferably one end being provided on one side of the glove opening andthe other end being provided on the other side of the glove opening. Anespecially good closing action with reference to the glove opening isachieved when one end can be turned down onto the other end and when theends can be detachably secured to one another.

In this connection it is recommended that one end be made as a receivingpart which has at least one clear opening area and the other end be madeas an-insertion part which is provided for insertion into the openingarea and which is matched to the opening area. Feasibly then theinsertion part can be turned down onto the receiving part and can bedetachably secured to the receiving part by the insertion part beinginserted into the receiving part which has the opening area and thusbeing detachably secured to the receiving part.

The above described locking and fixing principle functions for the areaof the glove opening to be closed for example in a preferable mannerwhen the receiving part is located on one side of the glove opening andwhen the insertion part is located on the other side of the gloveopening. In this constellation it is reliably guaranteed that theinsertion part can be turned down onto the receiving part and can bedetachably secured to the receiving part.

Alternatively or in addition, the fixing or the closing strip can beknotted and/or tied and/or can be detachably secured by means of cementor by means of at least one adhesive spot or by means of at least oneadhesive strip or by means of a tape.

According to one especially inventive development of this invention, onthe outside there is at least one carrier strip. This carrier strip onthe one hand has a stabilizing function, especially when the gloves asclaimed in the invention are unrolled in the lengthwise direction andare delivered individually by means of a dispensing device; on the otherhand, the carrier strip can also be used as a holder for the glove,especially when there is carrier strip in a material-saving mannerinstead of the plastic film which forms the outside.

In the latter case the hand of the user is inserted between the carrierstrip and the plastic film which forms the inside, i.e. the carrierstrip then acts to a certain extent as a holding strip or a holdingdevice which is pulled over the back of the hand. In this connection anespecially advantageous function is ensured when there are two carrierstrips which are located roughly parallel to one another.

Other embodiments, features and advantages of this invention aredescribed below in the drawings using FIGS. 1 to 5 which illustrate twoembodiments of these gloves in sample form.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 shows a host of disposable gloves which are located next to oneanother transversely in the lengthwise direction according to a firstembodiment, in a perspective schematic;

FIG. 2 shows a representation along the section line II—II from FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 shows a representation along the section line III—III from FIG.1;

FIG. 4 shows a host of disposable gloves which are located next to oneanother transversely in the lengthwise direction according to a secondembodiment, in a perspective schematic; and

FIG. 5 shows a representation along the section line V—V from FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 shows a cros-sectional view of another embodiment of theinvention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIG. 1 labels the disposable gloves according to a first embodiment ofthis invention with reference number 5. They have two congruent plasticfilms 6, 7 which are rectangular in a plan view and which are joined toone another securely by cementing or by bonding or by sealing in theedge areas 8 with the formation of an outside (back side) 9 and aninside (palm side) 10, leaving a glove opening 11.

Furthermore, the glove 5 as claimed in the invention is provided on theinside 10 externally with an absorbent outside layer 12 which consistsof paper (mat). The plastic films 6, 7 are conversely made ofpolyethylene (PE) and are microperforated so that a glove 5 which can toa certain extent breathe is made available which allows air exchange;this has the positive consequence that unpleasant sweating of the handin the glove 5 can be prevented.

The congruent plastic films 6, 7 are formed from a plastic web whichextends in the lengthwise direction 13 and which is folded in the formof a hose, the folded edge 14 which extends in the lengthwise direction13 forming the top of the glove 5 in the area of the fingertips and thetwo edges 15, 16 which lie opposite the fold edge 14 forming the gloveopening 11.

As can be taken from FIG. 2 (=representation along the section lineII—II from FIG. 1) the two edges 15, 16 which form the glove opening 11and which lie opposite the fold edge 14 are arranged offset to oneanother. In this way especially comfortable insertion of the hand intothe glove 5 is enabled, since the user of the glove 5 can optionallycompensate for the fact that the two plastic films 6, 7 may adhere toone another by his grasping the projecting edge 16 and gently pullingthe two plastic films 6, 7 apart.

The congruent plastic films 6, 7 which are joined to one another on thelateral edge areas 8 by bonding or by sealing furthermore have in areasa seal seam 17 which runs at a distance from the edge areas 8 and/orfrom the fold edge 14, in the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 inthe form of a mitten.

As FIG. 1 shows, there is a host of disposable gloves 5 next to oneanother in the lengthwise direction 13 of the plastic web, which can beeasily separated by one linear perforation 18 at a time which runsessengially at a right angle to the lengthwise direction 13, but arestill joined to one another.

As FIGS. 1 to 3 further show, on the outside 9 of the glove 5 there aretwo carrier strips 23 a, 23 b which are located parallel to one another.These carrier strips 23 a, 23 b on the one hand have a stabilizingfunction, especially when the gloves 5 are unrolled in the lengthwisedirection 13 (compare FIGS. 1 and 2) and are delivered individually bymeans of a dispensing device; on the other hand, the carrier strips 23a, 23 b can also be used as a holder for the glove 5, and in aninventive manner also such that there is or are a carrier strip 23 orcarrier strips 23 a, 23 b instead of the plastic film 6 which forms theoutside 9 (see FIG. 6).

In the latter case the hand of the user is inserted between the carrierstrips 23 a, 23 b and the plastic film 7 which forms the inside 10, i.e.the carrier strips 23 a, 23 b then act as holding strips which arepulled over the back of the hand.

In the second embodiment which is alternative to FIGS. 1 to 3, incontrast to the first embodiment in which the gloves 5 are arrangedhorizontally crosswise next to one another, the gloves 50 are arrangedin succession horizontally in the lengthwise direction 13. Here the topof the glove 50 which is adjacent to the fingertips is provided with aseal seam 8 which runs transversely to the lengthwise direction 13.Parallel to this seal seam 8, but on the side facing away from the topof the glove 50 there is a linear perforation 18 which forms the gloveopening 11 upon separation.

As follows from FIG. 4, the seal seam 17 of the glove 50 in a plan viewon both sides of the finger area (defined by the little finger, ringfinger, middle finger and index finger) has a thumb section 51 which isused to accommodate the thumb and moreover a glove 50 which is to acertain extent mirror-symmetrical with respect to the lengthwisedirection 13.

It furthermore follows from FIG. 4 that in the area of the glove opening11 there is a locking closure with a fixing or closing strip 19 whichextends transversely to the insertion direction of the hand. This fixingor closing strip 19 has two ends 19 a, 19 b, one end 19 a being on theside of the glove opening 11 which is the left side in FIG. 4 and theother end 19 b being on the side of the glove opening 11 which is theright side in FIG. 4.

On the one hand, there is no additional material cost associated withproviding this fixing or closing strip 19 which is located in the areaof the so-called “turnback” of the glove 50 and with which the gloveopening 11 can be closed after insertion of the hand into the glove 50,because the material which is necessary for the fixing or closing strip19 is made available anyway by the plastic films 6 and 7 and otherwisewould only be scrap; on the other hand, by providing the fixing orclosing strip 19 and the resulting closing function in the area of theglove opening 11 the hand is reliably prevented from slipping out of theglove 50 since the turnback area which may otherwise tend touncontrolled flapping and under unfavorable conditions in the extremecase to unwanted incipient tearing, i.e. the area of the glove opening11, can be fixed and closed by the fixing or closing strip 19.

In the special embodiment of FIG. 4 one end 19 a is on the side of theglove opening 11 which is the left side in FIG. 4 and the other end 19 bis on the side of the glove opening 11 which is the right side in FIG.4. An especially good closing action with reference to the glove opening11 can be achieved here by the fact that one end 19 a can be turned downonto the other end 19 b and that the two ends 19 a, 19 b can bedetachably secured to one another by means of two adhesive strips whichare protected against fouling first of all by silicone-treatedcoverings.

In addition, FIG. 5 shows in cross section that on the side of the glove50 which is opposite the electrostatically chargeable outer layer 12which is provided with a disinfecting additive, another congruentplastic film 20 with another seal seam 21 which encloses a larger areathan the seal seam 17, but which runs at a distance to the latter to acertain extent parallel, is applied to the two congruent plastic films6, 7. This yields another glove which is produced in one process with aglove opening 52, this glove being made larger than the glove formed bythe two congruent plastic films 6, 7.

To impart stability of shape to the glove 50, outside the area of theseal seam 17 (compare the first embodiment as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3) oroutside the other seal seam 21 (compare the second embodiment as shownin FIGS. 4 and 5) there are stabilization connections 22 which are madeas seal seams in the second embodiment shown.

FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of another embodiment in which theoutside layer 12 is applied externally only to the inside or palm side10.

Thus, the area of the parts which are rectangular in a plan view, andwhich can be separated along the perforation 18, i.e. the area whichremains outside the actual glove 5 or 50, is stable and is notdisruptive when the globe 5 or 50 is being used.

What is claimed is:
 1. Glove, comprising at least two essentiallycongruent plastic films which at least on a portion of the lateral edgeareas are joined to one another securely with the formation of palm sideand a back side and leaving a glove opening; and at least one absorbentoutside layer applied externally to at least one of the palm side andthe back side, wherein the outside layer includes iron shavings inpowdered form and is statically charged.
 2. Glove as claimed in claim 1,wherein the at least one absorbent outside layer is applied externallyonly to the palm side.
 3. Glove as claimed in claim 1, wherein the atleast one absorbent outside layer is paper or mat.
 4. Glove as claimedin claim 1, wherein the at least one absorbent outside layer iselectrostatically charged or magnetostatically charged.
 5. Glove asclaimed in claim 1, the plastic films are joined by at least one bond orseal seam distanced from the lateral edge areas and defining outer edgesof a fingered glove or mitten which in plan view has a finger area and apair of thumb sections used for holding the thumb on both sides of thefinger area.
 6. Glove comprising first and second congruent plasticfilms which at least on a portion of the lateral edge areas are joinedto one another securely with the formation of a palm side and a backside and leaving a glove opening, the first and second films also beingjoined by at least one first bond or seal seam distanced from thelateral edge areas and defining outer edges of a first fingered glove ormitten; at least one absorbent outside layer applied externally to thepalm side; and a third congruent plastic film provided on the back sideopposite the outside layer, the third plastic film being connected tothe adjacent plastic film by a second bond or seal seam which runs witha distance from the first bond or the seal seam to define a secondfingered glove or mitten of different size than the first fingered gloveor mitten.
 7. Glove as claimed in claim 6, wherein the second bond orseal seam takes up or encloses a larger area than toe first bond or sealseam.
 8. Glove as claimed in claim 6, wherein outside an area taken upor enclosed by an outer one of the first bond or seal seam and thesecond bond or seal seam there is at least one stabilization connection.9. Glove as claimed in claim 8, wherein the at least one stabilizationconnection comprises at least one seam selected from the groupconsisting of a cement seam, a bond seam and a seal seam.
 10. Glove asclaimed in claim 6, wherein each of the first and second bond or sealseams have a shape in plan view forming a finger area and a pair ofthumb sections used for holding the thumb on both sides of the fingerarea.
 11. Glove comprising at least two essentially congruent plasticfilms which at least on a portion of the lateral edge areas are joinedto one another securely with the formation of palm side and a back sideand leaving a glove opening; and at least one absorbent outside layerapplied externally to at least one of the palm side and the back side;and two carrier strips located roughly parallel to one another on theplastic film on the back side of the glove.
 12. Glove as claimed inclaim 11, wherein the plastic films are also joined by at least one bondor seal seam distanced from the lateral edge areas and defining outeredges of a fingered glove or mitten which in a plan view has a fingerarea and a pair of thumb sections used for holding the thumb on bothsides of the finger area.
 13. Glove as claimed in claim 7, wherein theoutside layer includes at least one additive selected from the groupconsisting of a disinfecting additive and a germicidal additive. 14.Glove as claimed in claim 12, wherein the plastic films are joined toone another by at least one joining method selected from the groupconsisting of cementing, bonding and sealing.
 15. Glove as claimed inclaim 12, wherein at least one of the plastic films is made of amaterial selected from the group consisting of polyethylene,polypropylene and copolymers.
 16. Glove as claimed in claim 12, whereinat least one of the plastic films is microperforated at least in places.17. Glove as claimed in claim 12, wherein the plastic films in a planview have a shape selected from the group consisting of roughlyrectangular, roughly round and rounded.
 18. Glove as claimed in claim12, wherein the plastic films are formed from a plastic web whichextends in the lengthwise direction and which is folded substantially inhalf.
 19. Glove as claimed in claim 18, wherein a fold edge whichextends in the lengthwise direction forms the top of the glove in thearea of the fingertips and wherein two edges opposite the fold edge formthe glove opening.
 20. Glove as claimed in claim 19, wherein the twoedges which are opposite the fold edge and which form the glove openingare arranged offset to one another.
 21. Glove as claimed in claim 18,wherein there are two or more gloves in the lengthwise direction of theplastic web transversely next to one another and wherein the gloves arejoined to one another to be easily separated by at least one linearperforation which runs transversely to the lengthwise direction. 22.Glove as claimed in claim 21, wherein at a distance to the perforationthere is at least one additional bond or seal seam which joins theplastic films to one another and which forms the top of the glove in thearea of the fingertips.
 23. Glove as claimed in claim 21, wherein thegloves which are joined to one another via the at least one linearperforation are unrolled in the lengthwise direction and can bedispensed individually by means of a dispenser.
 24. Glove as claimed inclaim 12, wherein the plastic films are formed from a plastic web whichextends in the lengthwise direction.
 25. Glove as claimed in claim 24,wherein a top of the glove in the area of the fingertips and the gloveopening which is opposite the top in the lengthwise direction arelocated at a distance to one another.
 26. Glove as claimed in claim 24,wherein there are two or more gloves in the lengthwise direction of theplastic web in succession, and wherein the gloves are joined to oneanother to be easily separated by at least one linear perforation whichruns transversely to the lengthwise direction with the formation of theglove opening.
 27. Glove as claimed in claim 12, further comprising atleast one locking closure provided in the area of the glove opening, theat least one locking closure comprising at least one fixing or closingstrip which extends essentially transversely to the insertion directionof the hand.
 28. Glove as claimed in claim 27, wherein the fixing orclosing strip has two ends.
 29. Glove as claimed in claim 28, whereinone end of the fixing or closing strip is provided on one side of theglove opening and another end of the fixing or closing strip is providedon the other side of the glove opening.
 30. Glove as claimed in claim28, wherein one end of the fixing or closing strip can be turned downonto another end of the fixing or closing strip and wherein the two endscan be detachably secured to one another.
 31. Glove as claimed in claim27, wherein the fixing or the closing strip is adapted to fix or closethe glove by one of being knotted, tied, detachably secured by means ofcement, detachably secured by means of at least one adhesive spot,detachably secured by means of at least one adhesive strip, anddetachably secured by means of at least one tape.